Sep. 05, 2014

Hello, Stranger, Wanna Share a Cab?

Imagine a world where your cab ride isn’t just cheaper, but more efficient. No more waiting in long lines at the airport taxi stand or counting the passing minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic as you inch through Times Square. All you have to do is share a cab with a stranger, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Steven Strogatz, a mathematician and one of the study’s authors, talks about whether these statistical possibilities could work in the real world. (Plus, watch a taxi in action in this data visualization. Note, this project is not part of MIT's study.)

Produced by Becky Fogel, Production Assistant

Guests

Steven StrogatzProfessor, Applied Mathematics Cornell University Ithaca, New York